Goodwood will celebrate Lotus at the 2012 Festival of Speed by having the British company as its featured marque, taking centre stage on the lawn during the Festival of Speed. The event is to celebrate the 60th birthday of the company – as it was founded by Colin Chapman in 1952, four years built his first vehicle, the Mk1 trials car.

There are other Lotus birthdays, too, in 2012 – the 50th anniversary of the Elan, 40 years since the Esprit  concept was first revealed by Giugiaro, 35 years since the Lotus 78 ground effect Formula 1, and 20 years since cyclist Chris Boardman won a gold medal for Britain in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, riding the revolutionary Type 108 bicycle developed by Lotus.

A spectacular collection of F1 cars will be at Goodwood in the summer, along with Lotus Indycars, sports and road cars, all forming a key attraction at the 2012 Festival of Speed. A wealth of current and ex-works Lotus drivers are also expected to appear at Goodwood. Full details of the Lotus vehicle and driver line-up, along with further news about the main Lotus Central Feature installation, will be revealed over the coming months.

For more information about the 2012 Festival of Speed visit, www.goodwood.co.uk/fos